Vidak's News & Views: October 2017

Howdy Folks —

October 23-31 is Red Ribbon Week!

Sponsored by National Family Partnership, since 1988 the National Red Ribbon Campaign and Red Ribbon Week has served as a way for people and communities to unite and take a stand against drugs. Each October, the Red Ribbon Campaign reaches millions of youth across the country to spread awareness and work toward a drug free America.

Today, the Red Ribbon serves as a catalyst to mobilize communities to educate our youth and encourage participation in drug prevention activities. As a part of the national campaign, Team Vidak will be personally visiting and delivering roughly 50,000 Red Ribbon Week bookmarks to over 165 elementary schools throughout the Central Valley.

Ensuring that our youth are aware and educated about the impact that drugs can have on their life is one more way that we can strive for a safer, healthier and better future. Join Team Vidak and the National Red Ribbon Campaign this October and help to spread the word and make a difference in our Valley.

Your Future is Key, So Stay Drug Free.

To find out more about the National Red Ribbon Campaign and Red Ribbon week, please visit http://redribbon.org/.

Mobile District Office hours are an opportunity for Senate District 14 residents to meet locally with a Team Vidak representative to hear more about Andy’s work in Sacramento and the Central Valley, have their questions answered or get help with specific state-related issues, including:

ICYMI: “Strathmore kids clean up”

It is a heartwarming feeling to see so many young members of Valley communities dedicate their time and energy to community service. Highlighted in a recent article published in The Porterville Recorder, children of the Strathmore Boys and Girls Club spent their Thursday afternoon repainting a wall covered with graffiti near the Baptist Church.

The Boys and Girls Clubs mission is, “To enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.” Youth and communities across the United States and right here in the Central Valley are benefiting from the various services that youth clubs, such as The Boys and Girls Clubs, provide.

The club focuses on activities to engage and educate youth about citizenship, healthy lifestyle, and charity. This fall, the Boys and Girls Club of Strathmore will spend time knitting caps for cancer victims and donating them to Valley Children’s Hospital through a service project they call “Hats for Hope.”

It is safe to say that programs like The Boys and Girls Clubs and many others that get our youth involved in community service, education, physical activity and instills a sense of pride for our communities, will make our Valley stronger for years to come.

Thank you Boys and Girls Clubs of the Sequoias and keep up the great work!

Fresno County Juvenile Justice Campus Tour

Grand Opening of Walmart Academy in Dinuba

4th Annual Constitution Week

Root Access Hackerspace Grand Opening

Team Vidak was happy to discover in a recent EdSource article, that two foundations are teaming up to award Fresno and two other California areas a combined $1 million to help students earn college degrees.

The donations are a part of a $6 million effort called “Talent Hub” by the Lumina Foundation and Kresge Foundation to fund regions across the United States that are working to assist low-income students and working adults who either dropped out of college or have no education after high school.

Fresno, Los Angeles, and Northern California’s rural Shasta County will each receive $350,000 to support the region’s college-going efforts. The investments are expected to produce 30,000 to 50,000 more workers with degrees and certificates by the end of 2020.

Fresno has been focusing on increasing the number of community college students taking a full class load and working toward reforms that will allow students to complete remedial work while earning college credit.

The Lumina-Kresge money will help to update data systems so that the colleges can share student progress information and better pinpoint areas where improvement is needed.

Benjamin T. Duran, President of the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium said, the money “comes at a good time,”… It will allow us to enhance the efforts we’re already undertaking.”

Team Vidak would like to send a major thank you to those at the Lumina Foundation and Kresge Foundation for their extremely generous donations aimed at helping California and our Valley provide a better education and meet the needs of our students.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month — a time to raise awareness about breast cancer, how to detect it and how to treat it. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Other than skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States.” It is estimated that more than 250,000 American women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year. Luckily, due to scientific advancements, early detection and proper treatment, the survival rate after 5 years from diagnosis for breast cancer has increased from 72% in the 1940’s to over 89% today.

October also celebrates National Mammography Day on October 20th. National Mammography Day serves as a reminder for women to schedule a mammogram, and to take steps to help detect breast cancer in its early stages.